Citrus Orange - Nothing smells as fresh as the smell of organic citrus oils. The organic orange, lemon, and lime stimulate the skin and invigorate the body, resulting in a truly refreshing shower experience.

All Dr Bronner's Castile Liquid Soaps are not only certified by Oregon Tilth to the same rigorous USDA National Organic Program standards that certify organic foods, but also are certified Fair Trade by the respected Swiss certifier IMO.

Dr Bronner's Classic Liquid Soaps Made With Fair Trade & Organic Oils have been called the "Swiss-army knife" of cleaning – usable for just about any cleaning task. These simple, ecologically formulated Dr Bronner Liquid Castile soaps are gentle enough for washing body, face or hair, but also powerful enough for tasks like dishwashing, mopping, laundry and even pest control. Different tasks call for different dilutions of the soap. To get you started with some basic uses, check out Lisa Bronner's "Liquid Soaps Dilutions Cheat Sheet."

Dr Bronners An Overview of Soapmaking

Soaps have been made for millennia. Aside from making fire and cooking food, “saponifying” oil and fat into soap is one of the oldest and simplest chemical reactions known to humankind. In fact, the first soaps were accidentally made by fat dripping into the ashes of cooking fires.

Soap is made by saponifying a fat or oil with an alkali. A fat or oil is a “triglyceride,” which means that three fatty acids of various carbon lengths are attached to a glycerin backbone. The alkali is either sodium hydroxide (for bars) or potassium hydroxide (for liquids), made by running electricity through salt water.

The saponification process is a simple one-step reaction with no waste generated: the glycerin is split off from the fatty acids, and the fatty acids combine with the sodium or potassium to form soap, while the hydroxide forms water. The result is soap, glycerin and water (no alkali remains in Dr Bronner soaps).

Quality soapmaking consists in great part of choosing the right proportions of the right oils. Coconut oil is very high lathering, but can be drying. Olive oil gives a really soft and luxuriant lather, but in small amounts. By using both coconut and olive oils in the right ratio, Dr Bronner’s unsurpassed soaps offer the best of both worlds: high lather with superb softness on the skin. To top it off, Dr Bronner soaps also contain hemp and jojoba oils, which mirror the natural oils in the skin’s sebum, thus imparting a wonderful after feel once the soaps are washed away.

Other Ways Dr Bronner’s Makes Higher-Quality Soaps

* Unlike most commercial soapmakers, who distill the glycerin out of their soaps to sell separately, Dr Bronners retain it in their soaps for its superb moisturising qualities.* Dr Bronners super-fat their bar soaps for a milder, smoother lather.* Dr Bronners use natural vitamin E from sunflower seeds and citric acid from fermented tapioca to protect freshness.* Dr Bronners do not add any chelating agents, dyes, whiteners or synthetic fragrances.* Dr Bronners use pure and powerful high-quality certified organic essential oils.* Dr Bronners liquid soaps are three times more concentrated than most so-called “liquid soaps” on the market, and they are only a few percent away from being a solid, which saves on packaging materials.* Dr Bronners soaps are a superb value, costing less than less-concentrated, inferior detergent body-wash “liquid soaps.”* Dr Bronners soaps are most popular for at-home washing, but they are also the soap of choice for many campers and hikers, as they are biodegradable and nature-friendly.* Dr Bronners also use better packaging; Dr Bronners plastic cylinder bottles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic.